PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INVASIVE SPECIES

Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. AND Ambrosia trifida L. IN SERBIA

UniversityofNoviSad,FacultyofNaturalSciences,DepartmentofBiologyandEcology,Trg D. Obradovia 2,RepublicofSerbia

Plant species Ambrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) and another allochtone species Ambrosia trifida are
identified in Serbia, as biotic invaders with high potential of colonization. This invasive species can
survive well in the habitats of different disturbance as elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentration, soil pollution and drought.
Environmentalconditionsdetermine plant dispersion and abundance, but also chemical composition
of pollen what is of significant importance since that species are well known by its damaging influence
on the human health causing contact dermatitis and pollen-caused allergies .
Plant invaders can completely alter the biotic and abiotic characteristics in a native ecosystem and can
greatly diminish the abundance of native species.
The aim of this investigation was to determine physiological and anatomical characteristics of the
invasive plant species which give more clear insight in the potential of the invaders in order to control
their proliferation.

AmbrosiatrifidaL.

AmbrosiaartmisiifoliaL.

Material and methods: Intact plants were collected in the field and brought
to the laboratory and immediately processed. The photosynthetic responses
(oxygen evolution and uptake within a sealed sample chamber in oxygen
electrode system) of the youngest leaves of two species at saturating light and
CO2 were measured at bud formation and early flowering phonological
phase. For anatomical analyses ten plants from each species were used. The
middle parts of the leaflet from 4th node (central lobe leaflet of bipinnate leaf
of A. artemisiifolia and palmate leaf of A.trifida) were made using a cryostat
(Leica CM 1850) with 20 to 30 m intervals. Measurements and observations
were made using Image Analyzing System Motic 2000. Leaf epidermal
characteristics were observed under light and scanning electron microscope
(SEM).
All data were analyzed using Duncans multiple range test at the level of
significance p<0.05. The average values shown in the tables and figures
followed by the same letter, did not differ significantly. Values decreased
following alphabetical order.

Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. in flowering stadium

Ambrosia trifida L. in flowering stadium

RESULTS
Table 1. Gas exchange parameters of leaves, water -use efficiency and nitrogen-use efficiency of
three investigated species at the flowering phenological phase under optimal soil humidity
conditions
Species
Ambrosia
artemisiifolia

Phenological
phase

Dark
respiration

Photosynthesis

Photosynth.
/ dark
respiration

Transpiration

-M O2 g-1

M O2 g-1

mMH2O g-1

h-1

h-1

h-1

Water-use
efficiency
(WUE)
mMO2 g-1
h-1 /
mMH2O g1

Vegetative before
flowering
Bud formation
and early
flowering

374.71 a

410.31 a

952.45 b

1488.64 a

2.54 b

3.63 a

24.9 c

56.2 b

N-use
efficiency
(NUE)

Species

M O2 g-1
h-1 / % N

h-1

0.038 a

0.026 b

Dark
respiration

Photosynthesis

-M O2 g-1

M O2 g-1

h-1

h-1

Photosynth.
/ dark
respiration

Transpiration

mM H2O g1

h-1

Water-use
efficiency
(WUE)
mM O2 g-1
h-1 / mM
H2O g-1 h-1

Table 3. Gas exchange parameters of leaves and nitrogen-use efficiency of Ambrosia artemisiifolia at
flowering phenological phase depending of soil humidity conditions

Photosynth.
/ dark
respiration

N-use
efficiency
(NUE)

Species:
Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Dark
respiration

Photosynthesis

M O2 g-1

Soil humidity

-M O2 g-1

M O2 g-1 h-

h-1

Dry soil

375.00 b

900.00 b

2.40 b

216.87 b

Optimally wet soil

410.31 b

1488.64 a

3.63 a

330.59 a

Wet soil

562.50 a

1125.00 ab

2.00 b

249.44 b

h-1 / % N

N-use efficiency
(NUE)

M O2 g-1 h-1 / % N

177.30 b
Ambrosia
artemisiifolia

330.59 a

Late flowering

364.14 a

762.87 b

2.09 b

53.8 b

0.014 c

166.68 b

Fruiting

218.91 b

276.62 c

1.26 b

154.5 a

0.002 d

74.24 c

Figure1.SEM micrograph of A. trifida abaxial lamina epidermis non-glandular and glandular trichomes

Table 2. Gas exchange parameters of leaves, water-use efficiency and nitrogen-use efficiency of
Ambrosia artemisiifolia depending of phenological phase under optimal soil humidity conditions

Ambrosia
trifida

410.31 b

527.17 a

1488.64 a

702.90 c

Figure2.SEM micrograph of A. trifida abaxial lamina epidermis

Inbothspeciesepidermis was one-layered, covered with dense indumentum (Figs.1and2).

3.63 a

1.33 b

56.2 b

60.5 b

0.026 a

0.012 b

330.59 a

152.80 c

The results obtained for the maximal leaf photosynthetic potential (mol released O2 g-1
h-1) of the examined species in the middle of the vegetation period and in optimal
humidity conditions, indicate that there were significant species differences.
The higher photosynthetic potential (net photosynthetic rate of oxygen evolution) was
registered in A. artemisiifolia species.
A. artemisiifolia had also relatively high rate of dark respiration, which indicates that
this species had high metabolic (carbon) costs, but ratio of photosynthesis / dark
respiration was relatively high (3,63).
Species A. trifida had significantly lower level of net photosynthetic activity, and
significantly higher level of respiratory oxygen uptake, that indicating smaller organic
production, as ratio: photosynthesis / dark respiration was 1.33.
A. artemisiifolia the highest WUE value, which indicates its highest potential in drycondition adaptation and its significant advantage in colonization.
Photosynthetic parameters are in positive correlation with nitrogen content in leaves
which confirmed the importance of the higher nitrogen allocation to photosynthesis.
We can conclude that for better distribution and the successful colonization, it is
important for plants to have specific dynamics of physiological processes during
vegetation period: the highest WUE in the vegetative phase, and the highest
photosynthesis and best assimilate use in the flowering phase.

Acknowledgements::
Presented experiments and analyses comply with the current laws of the State of Serbia.